“The Doom Statues” — Chapter 24

“I don’t know…it’s out in the middle of nowhere,” Clay’s telling whomever he’s speaking to on the phone, feet propped on a knotted pine coffee table in the main house’s library, “the closest town? I forget, it’s like…Spinning Rock or some shit. Aren’t all the towns around here named something like that?”

“It’s called Stokely, okay?” Jeremy calls out, not wanting to hear this conversation, yet unable to help himself. “Stokely.”

Monday morning has arrived and, as they plot out their upcoming drive into town, Jeremy paces around the library. He was relieved to wake up and see the sun shining bright and clear already, at this early hour, every bit as much as the truck stop worthy dispenser of fresh coffee Jen put out for them. Still, he has a week left at his real job back in Jenson, a midshift today beginning at 2pm, and is dreading the drive home far more than the work itself. Clay’s in the same boat, in fact, currently employed with some kind of odd job carpentry team, and is calling around to see what kind of colleague he can connive into taking his shift. The difference being Clay’s due in at 10, therefore has very little time to play with.

“I can’t stop thinking about that dream I had last night,” Denise reiterates, shaking her head as if attempting to brush off cobwebs. She’s sitting crossed legged on the knotted pine table itself…